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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · bass · arm · race · snap · leaves · mine · fan

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. race — a contest
  4. bass — low music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to click
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bass — the fish
  20. season — of the year
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com